Notre Dame safety Taebron Bennie-Powell to enter NCAA transfer portal

When you’ve got the talent in the secondary Notre Dame has had over the years, players like Taebron Bennie-Powell get swallowed up on the depth chart. Sometimes they get spit into the transfer portal.

That’s where Bennie-Powell is headed this offseason.

He announced his decision to leave Notre Dame via a social media post Friday evening.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for the opportunity He has given me,” Bennie-Powell wrote. “Without Him, I wouldn’t be in this position. I’m forever grateful to my coaches, teammates, and everyone who poured into me. The memories, lessons, and love I have for the University of Notre Dame go beyond words.

“After a lot of prayer and conversations, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal to continue chasing my dreams and new opportunities, with three years of eligibility remaining. Thank you for helping me become who I am today.”

Bennie-Powell arrived at Notre Dame as a three-star recruit in the class of 2024. He didn’t play as a true freshman that year, but he got on the field for 13 defensive snaps against Syracuse this season at the end of the Irish’s 70-7 Senior Day win over the Orange last month. That’ll end up being his only appearance in a Blue & Gold uniform.

Bennie-Powell couldn’t get ahead of classmate Tae Johnson on the Notre Dame depth chart. Johnson was a revelation for the Irish at safety this season, finishing the year with 4 interceptions. That was with not starting at the beginning of the year and missing the final two games with a hand injury.

Johnson started alongside team captain Adon Shuler, a redshirt sophomore and two-year starter for the Irish. In Bennie-Powell’s first season on campus, Shuler was a mainstay at safety as well as back-to-back All-American Xavier Watts.

With names like those to compete with, as well as Notre Dame bringing in an experienced transfer, Jalen Stroman from Virginia Tech, this season, Bennie-Powell’s path to playing time was always going to be limited. Johnson will be back for his third season in South Bend next year, and Shuler might stay for his fourth as well. They’re backed up by a slew of talented young players as well as senior utility man Luke Talich, who was stout as a swing safety for the Irish this fall.

Bennie-Powell is the fourth Notre Dame player Blue & Gold is aware of who is expected to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2. He joins quarterbacks Kenny Minchey and Anthony Rezac and cornerback Chance Tucker.

The Irish should be busy in supplementing their 2026 roster with some transfer portal additions of their own. It hasn’t been about quantity for Marcus Freeman in that regard during his tenure. It’s been about quality, and he’s done a nice job of finding it.